Scorn Greets Plan For Prison At Waterfront Park

June 22, 1989|By MARK DAVIDSON Staff Writer

NEWPORT NEWS — Wildlife and water are welcome neighbors. But kids and criminals don't mix.

That was the overwhelming opinion of residents at a public hearing Wednesday on the city's proposal to place a minimum-security prison next to a series of parks in the Deep Creek-Menchville neighborhood.

Most of the approximately 100 people who attended the Planning Commission hearing indicated, either through speech or applause, their support for all aspects of the Deep Creek-Menchville plan except for the placement of the City Farm prison.

The plan, developed by the Planning and Development Department, calls for the jail to move from the waterfront along the Warwick River to a spot about a half-mile inland. It would sit next to two schools and the Denbigh Plantation neighborhood, where some homes sell for up to a half-million dollars.

The waterfront would then become a public park, as would a cornfield next to where the new jail would sit. The inmates, who are convicted of non-violent crimes, would maintain the parks at no cost to taxpayers.

That is no consolation to some residents. "I cannot imagine allowing my children to play amidst the prisoners, violent or non-violent," said Sue Patterson, who lives in Denbigh Plantation.

"Would the new facility be a good neighbor? No," said Betty Ann Davis, another Denbigh Plantation resident. "Would you want your family to go to the new beautiful park if they will be confronted by criminals?"

In March, hundreds of Deep Creek-Menchville residents gathered at a school to tell city officials what they wanted in the neighborhood plan. Their primary desire was moving the City Farm off the waterfront.

But many neighbors said Wednesday they didn't mean they wanted the jail closer to their homes.

"We are for the park; we are against the location of the prison farm," said John D. Buckley.

City officials say they also are exploring other locations for the City Farm, and City Manager Edgar E. Maroney says he will go against his staff's recommendation and suggest that the City Council relocate the prison to a remote site, probably in northern Denbigh. Maroney also said money to relocate it might not be available for 10 years.

Several people did speak in favor of the entire plan Wednesday, including the City Farm relocation, parks, nature trails, waterfront homes and a seafood market.

One group supporting the Deep Creek-Menchville plan as presented was Concerned Denbigh Citizens, an organization that usually sides with neighborhoods fighting City Hall.

Joe Leming, the group's vice president, urged the planners to endorse the plan as is and let the City Council decide what to do about the City Farm.

"These questions are not going to get answered by delaying and delaying and delaying," Leming said.